nesariafandomcom-20200213-history
Justiciars
Justiciars Justiciars were one of the Dreadfolk, an intelligent creature from the Dreadlands. Their absolutely unstoppable will and utterly cold-hearted and horrific treatment of their victims made them the most viscerally dreaded of all the Dreadfolk. Justiciars seemingly did not possess emotions, and they acted off an enigmatic moral compass. Unlike most of the other Dreadfolk, Justiciars have not been present since time immemorial, but have only been recorded since 211 BC. Similar to the Succubi, Justiciars did not possess a physical body in the same way we think of one, although unlike Succubi they were incapable of shape-shifting and were instead confined to their semi-corporeal form. Their shape could not be accurately described beyond merely stating that it seemed to be a black shadow, standing approximately two metres tall. Justiciars stuck to the shadows wherever possible and generally acted at night or in dark spaces. It is unknown whether light hurt or weakened them, but they went to great lengths to avoid it. Those who witnessed a Justiciar and survived all reported feeling light-headed and weak, and filled with an intense feeling of doom. Since these correlate with what one feels when their heart stops beating, it is possible that Justiciars disrupt the normal heartbeat of people that see them. Justiciars could not speak, but they could telepathically communicate. They were only capable of properly communicating with people in direct line of sight, but they could still somehow telepathically affect their chosen victims who managed to run away, as they all reported feeling an inescapable and incessant sense of dread and paranoia, a constant nagging in the back of their mind that they were not safe, which often led to insanity and sometimes suicide. From what has been inferred from reports of victims who escaped (who all inevitably were either caught or committed suicide), Justiciars informed their victims that they were under arrest for "crimes against the natural order", and they would also be informed that resistance was not only futile but would add to their sentence. Justiciars considered themselves to be the enforcemers of an enigmatic code of law and defenders of the "natural order", and they hunted down "criminals" who violated those laws. From witness reports, Justiciars are described as physically enveloping their victims, and then the victim would simply disappear, and the Justiciar would leave. There was no known way of killing a Justiciar. Justiciars could be temporarily restrained by surrounding them in bright lights, but they would always eventually escape this, and promptly attack and capture all those who took part in restraining it. Even the Imperial Inquisition had to admit that there was essentially absolutely nothing they could do to help someone who was chosen as the target of a Justiciar. Jaco The Inquisition managed to capture a Justiciar in 183 AD by surrounding it with magical lights and only leaving a small pool of darkness for the Justiciar to inhabit. Inquisitor Avar Genereg stepped into the darkness and attempted to speak with the Justiciar, but the Justiciar began to attack him, and Avar frantically explained that he had been charged with "obstructing an agent of the law" before he was captured by the Justiciar. The Justiciar was then confronted by Inquisitor Ebau Amauga (a Black Elf), who quickly explained that they did not intend to obstruct an agent of the law, but rather learn about it, and explained the Justiciar would be free to go on its way after answering some questions. The Justiciar reluctantly agreed, and began answering questions. The Justiciar was named Jaco by Ebau, for no reason other than to make communication more comfortable. Jaco explained that when the Justiciars capture a target, they are transported to "another realm", which must clearly be a place separate from the Dreadlands, as Jaco explained that time operates on a different scale there. The "criminals" are imprisoned within "cells", where they remain indefinitely, unable to die and acutely aware of their existence. These cells were described as "dark", but no further description was given. After the questioning was complete, Ebau requested that Inquisitor Avar be released, as he merely wanted to ask questions and not obstruct the law. Jaco agreed and released Avar, who looked haggard, gaunt, unkempt and aged, and his eyes were in a great deal of pain. When Ebau asked why Avar's eyes hurt so much, Jaco explained that "he has not seen light for two years", and departed. Avar was given water and food, and once his eyes had re-adjusted, he was questioned. He confirmed that he had spent a long time in a space with only just enough light to make out his own outline, but that this space had no walls and was seemingly infinite, and he had spent his time sleeping and running before he became too exhausted to run after not eating. He had been dying of hunger and thirst for the past two years, but been unable to actually die from it. He explained (with a great deal of difficulty) that the experience had made him so despairing that he had tried to commit suicide by digging into his wrists with his nails and tearing out his ligaments, which he succeeded in doing. He passed out from blood loss, but awoke later with the damage completely healed. After this revelation he wept for "what seemed like hours". Prisons The last sighting of a Justiciar occurred in 1044, although it is likely that their activities continued for some time after this, but merely without detection. Justiciars were the only one of the Dreadfolk to not re-appear during the magical revival of the Nesarian Civil War - or, at least, they were not sighted and reported. Despite this, there is no reason to assume that the Justiciars themselves have disappeared, or that their prisons have disappeared with them. It is therefore very likely that the prisoners are still imprisoned. If the relative timescale difference between our world and the prisons is constant, and the time between Inquisitor Avar being captured and released was approximately ten minutes in our world but two years in the prison, then it can be said that time passes 52,596 times faster in the prisons relative to our world, but time passes at the normal rate for the inhabitants of the prisons. The last prisoner to be captured, then, who was captured in 1044, has been imprisoned for 976 years in our world, but approximately 51,333,700 years in theirs. Likewise, the first recorded instance of someone being captured, which occurred in 211 BC, has been imprisoned for 2231 years in our world, but approximately 117,341,676 years in theirs. It is this utterly infinite, cold existence of absolutely nothing, consumed by hunger, thirst, loneliness and insanity in a place with only a slither of light, which made Justiciars by far the most dreaded of the Dreadfolk, as falling prey to them is a fate far worse than even the most torturous deaths inflicted by the others. It was more than just that which added to their terrifying reputation, however; it was that their behaviour and the laws they enforced were a complete mystery, never explained to anyone, and even those accused were not told specifically what their crimes were.Category:Dreadfolk